BREAKING NEWS: Postal Commission recommends postage increase (AP)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=2338070

Published Monday | February 26, 2007
BREAKING NEWS: Postal Commission recommends postage increase

WASHINGTON (AP) - The independent postal regulatory commission recommended a two-cent increase in the cost of mailing a letter Monday and urged the Post Office to introduce a "forever" stamp valid for first-class postage despite future increases.

The recommendation to increase postage to 41 cents was a penny less than the postal service had requested.

The commission recommended a 26-cent rate for post cards, also a penny less than the Post Office had sought.

The first ounce of a first-class mail would rise to 41 cents, but each additional ounce would cost 17 cents under the proposal. Currently, each additional ounce of first-class mail costs 24 cents.


FULL story at link.

[w4rma]

1. I don't support any more increases on the price of shipping.

All this is being done so that the other private shipping companies can make more money and pull business *away* from the U.S. Postal Service (which will, of course, *cost* the UPS money). It's not because the U.S. Postal Service needs the extra money.

[Waya]

2. AGAIN?????????

Sheeeesh............

[Thor_MN]

33. Bulk mailers prefer smaller, more frequent increases

It helps them manage their costs. And we can't do anything that helps people, only corporations.

[bullimiami]

3. im so sick of weird postage amounts. just make it 40 or 45 and hold it until

you really need another increase. i know they want to take it from 39 uggh to 42 more uggh.

[tanyev]

16. AMEN!

Heck, I'd pay fifty cents a pop for a bunch of forever stamps.

[trotsky]

4. A "forever" stamp sounds intriguing.

With all the online and automatic bill-pay options, I'm to the point of using maybe one or two stamps a month. I can't buy a roll anymore without going through one or two rate increases while using it up.

That said, mailing a letter for 41 cents is STILL one of the best bargains you'll ever find.

[Phredicles]

18. From what I hear, our postage IS cheaper than in other countries,

but I too don't see why they can't fix rates at rounder numbers.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. Much cheaper than Britain

A story from today: the Royal Mail want to raise first class postage from 32p to 38p - about 74 cents. The story says it's "cage rattling", and unlikely to be approved, but it still shows we have more expensive postage. We do already have the "forever" stamp, though.

[ellacott]

5. I wish I can tell my employer that I want to raise my rates

Well, I can tell him but he won't do anything about it.

[liberal N proud]

6. Each time they raise the rate, fewer people use the system causing them to raise the rate further

Soon there will be no need for the USP.
Pay your bills on line, communicate through email and ship packages DHL - FED-Ex or UPS.

[ClintonTyree]

7. Which is why I pay all of my bills electronically.

I get all "e-bills" (if possible) as well. Lots less paper going into the landfills. They can take their postage rate increases and cram them where the sun don't shine. Where are all the conservative "free market" howler monkeys when it comes to government monopolies like the USPS? :shrug:

[RebelOne]

10. Same here. Let the bank foot the cost of the postage. n/t

[melm00se]

8. the "need" for 1st

class postage has been dropping steadily now for years (IMO email and electronic bill pay being 2 of the main culprits) and the last drop was almost 3% in volume bringing about a $1billion in lost revenue.

Unless the USPS figures out how to either:
- Increase revenues
- Increase volume
- decrease costs

this trend is just going to continue.

the USPS is definitely behind the curve in the one area of growth (expedited mail service) when compared to FedEx, UPS etc. Maybe they ought to shift some of their efforts into that area and out hustle and out value their competition and use those surpluses to prop up the 1st class mail revenues.

[blondie58]

30. we already have a great Express mail

For $14.40 you can send an express comparible to our competitors.

I never trusted them 15 years ago, when I was a travel agent. But now I see how conscientious we are and at a much better rate. We really do try.

[tridim]

9. Screw em

I'm convinced the additional cost is because of the volume of junk mail the postal carriers have to tote around. Bulk rates and all that.

I go to my mailbox about once a week now because there's almost never anything important and I always have to weed through the pounds of junk to find it. All bills are done online, I haven't bought a stamp in about two years.

Honestly I'd rather just get no paper mail at all. I wonder if that's an option?

[melm00se]

11. why not?

Bills? many bills can now come electronically - i think the only ones I get are the water/sewer (quasi-government agency - way slow to adapt new technology), property tax and the bug spraying guy...everything else comes electronically

Letters? I get those mainly via email.

birthday/anniversary/greeting cards - those i still want to get hard copy...

but other than that, the rest is crap and ens up in hte recycle bin or shredder

[blondie58]

31. bulk mail is very affordable for advertisers

but it is keeping the price of regular mail and services down. If we did not have junk mail, we would have to raise our rates, as we are just supposed to meet our costs and not make a profit. Junk mail can be an inconvenience, but hey, how difficult is it to throw away or recycle?

We actually have people call in to complain that they didn't receive their advertising for the week. They base their shopping and budget upon it.

[newblewtoo]

38. Exactly what I have been wondering

Don't get me wrong, I love my letter carrier, keep the walk shoveled, stairs sanded and all that but days on end I get nothing, nothing, but junk mail.
Is there a national don't send list? I get brochures for crap I don't want nor can afford. It is a double burden because it all has to be recycled. I have often thought to tell the carrier to just chuck it.

[LanternWaste]

41. There's an opt-out you can sign up for

There's an opt-out you can sign up for that will prevent you from receiving bulk-rate mailers-- maybe on their website, maybe you have to call... dunno.

FYI-- the bulk-mailers actually reduce the cost.

[all.of.me]

12. i heard this before christmas

and that it would go into effect in january. the postmistress (?) told me it would be more like june or so.

[AlCzervik]

13. omg is just bought a big book of stamps!!! ARGGGHHHHH!!!!!

[Tesha]

35. Kind'a like buying an iPod, isn't it?

> mg is just bought a big book of stamps!!! ARGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Kind'a like buying an iPod, isn't it?

Except there, prices keep going down and
capacity keeps going up.

Tesha

[Triana]

14. I just spoke the the USPS in my area...

...about damn delivery and tracking issues.

*sigh*

[Bentcorner]

15. We consumers are paying for the cost of junk mail

and bulk mail. Companies sending bills and statements to costumers. They don't pay the same rate we do. It's only a fraction of what people pay. They get away with it by claiming that it's "presorted" by the junk mailers and other companies, but with the level of high speed automation, the price of sorting is not even much of an issue.

[high density]

17. The most important thing here is the shape based pricing

which could lead to large increases in the cost of mailing large, light things. Of course the AP focuses on two cents instead of the big picture.

[struggle4progress]

19. Republicans Screw US on Postage Increases, Too!

Kennedy/Johnson - $0.02
Nixon/Ford ------ $0.07
Carter ---------- $0.02
Reagan/Bush ----- $0.14
Clinton --------- $0.05
Bush II --------- $0.07

<edit:> The Republicans apparently have a $0.035/term increase in postal rates as a target

[olddad56]

20. Outsource the post office. It's the new American way.

[heliarc]

27. Yep.

Wish the USPS was our ISP.

[blondie58]

32. yeah that will be secure

and I'm sure that you'll feel safer with who knows who delivering your mail.

[Ignacio Upton]

21. Well....there's email

If the government ever tries to tax email with a similar scheme, I'll be right up on Capitol Hill protesting with the libertarian types.

[goforit]

22. Watch it guys you too can be out-sourced.

[talkinghead]

23. Perhaps it is time to do away with the USPS in general.

I would be willing to bet that, when controlling for inflation, prices of Fedex, UPS, etc. have decrease as they have become more efficient. The postal service is a bureaucratic monopoly that has far out lived its feasibility, if it ever existed in the first place.

[Thothmes]

34. Do away with the USPS

That sounds feasible on the face of it. However, can you imagine FEDEX or USP running a rural route in the middle of nowhere Wyoming for 6 families on a 75 mile road. There are thousands of miles of rural routes that are lightly populated. Hardly profitable for the private carriers. If they were to break even, they would charge 6 or 7 bucks a letter.

[LanternWaste]

42. Doubtful its existence will be rescinded

it's doubtful its existence will be rescinded in the relatively near future. There's a clause in the U.S. constitution empowering the government to establish postal offices and roads.

Also, as UPS and FedEx exist, I think we can safely say the USPS is NOT a monopoly-- with the exception of non-urgent, First-Class outbound mail which can however, be easily be replaced by e-mail, so for all intents and purposes, the USPS is in fact, NOT a monopoly.

Additionally, it's the third largest employer in the U.S. (just behind the U.S. defense department and Wal-Mart). I'd hate to see the consequences of shutting it down...

[aquart]

24. Privatization of the post office: another costly failure.

[talkinghead]

25. The costly failure seems to be the current state of the USPS

[heliarc]

26. They should be our ISP IMHO

I know that's probably a controversial stance, but I think it would be great if Broadband and WiFI was a municipal service and our email accounts were administered by servers at the local Post offices.

If you need to argue this point to someone on the right, ask them why so much money gets spent on putting complex networks of monitoring equipment at all the "public" phone and email companies when the money could be more efficiently spent monitoring all the traffic through an already established government agency...

[blondie58]

29. I am going to educate you consumers about the USPS

Yes, I am a proud postal employee and I feel that we do a pretty good job.

What most people don't realize is that we are not allowed to make a profit- we're just supposed to meet our operating costs. Hence, these strange 1 and 2 cent increases. We also can not arbitrarily raise our rates, we must present our figures to the Postal Regulatory Commission, who will then raise if deemed necesary.

And that is why our prices are consistently lower than our competitors, as we are not in business to make a profit for the corporation.

We do keep the prices down by that nasty 'junk mail' but we have people who depend on those ads to keep their budgets down. And you can always opt out with the direct mail marketing option.

If we ever change or privatize the P.O., you can bet that Grandma in Podunk, USA will have to pay big bucks to send a letter or a package. We are supposed to provide service to every community in the entire country.

And the United States has very low postage costs, compared to other industrialized nations.

So, please look at the big picture before bashing the Post Office.

[sendero]

37. I have no real.....

... complaint with the postal service in our area. We get our mail with a minimum of errors or problems.

I do wish that the regulators would let the USPS "look ahead" and make fewer and larger rate increases. The rate increases cost money, in the printing of stamps, mail returned for incorrect postage and other factors, and they should be minimised.

[roamer65]

40. I'd pay a buck if they'd get rid of all the stupid junk mail.

Half of my garbage is all those stupid flyers and related junk ads.

[outofbounds]

36. I think USPS does a fine job.

3.00 - 4.00 for three day priority. thats to ship a cd and a t shirt. Compare UPS or Fed Ex pricing. I do wish they would round the price of stamps though. You can confirm the arrival of a letter for .60. You are hard pressed to find a better deal to physically send mail. If making a profit is a problem just escrow the money until they need it, or donate it to an honest charity.

[Robb]

39. Another pinch on rural weekly newspapers, too

Another buck a year in pure pass-on cost for sending those little newspapers through the mail -- the Podunk Weekly Shitrag uses plain ol' mail to deliver, thousands of 'em -- adds up.

Small newspaper subscriptions run about $25-35 per year, add another buck -- or absorb it -- and it's going to hurt them.

"$26?? Why did my subscription rate go up? Screw it!"